BBC News: Aggression from video games ‘linked to incompetence’

April 7, 2014.

Feelings of aggression after playing video games are more likely to be linked to gameplay mechanics rather than violent content, a study suggests.

Researchers carried out a range of tests, including making a non-violent version of popular game Half-Life 2.

Games modified to have counter-intuitive, frustrating controls – leading to feelings of incompetence – produced more aggressive reactions.

The team called for more sophisticated research into violent gaming.

“There’s a need for researchers who are interested in these questions not just to pull two video games off the shelf from the high street,” said Dr Andrew Przybylski from the Oxford Internet Institute, who carried out the research along with colleagues from the University of Rochester in the US.